Jalandhar: A day after chief minister Bhagwant Mann warned of escalating the issue, Punjab govt on Thursday wrote to the Rajasthan govt seeking demand cost and royalty of Rs 1.44 lakh crore for river water supply since 1961.The letter sent by water resources secretary Krishan Kumar to his Rajasthan counterpart marks the first time Punjab has issued a formal demand to its neighbour, going beyond political statements.
It mentions the 1920 agreement for the supply of Satluj waters to then State of Bikaner, arguing that Clause 13 of the agreement stipulated the payment of “seigniorage” (a royalty) for water supplied. According to the letter, the rate was originally set at one-tenth of the average water rate. Punjab asserts the 1920 agreement remains legally binding and has never been formally rescinded. Rajasthan was paying the charges to Punjab till the Indus Water Treaty was finalised in 1960, it adds.
The letter also refers to the inter-state ministerial meeting held on Jan 29, 1955, which mentioned the “cost of water” to be taken up separately. The letter points out Para 5 of the decision, which stated that “the question of allocation of the cost of water including the cost of storages and other works may be taken up separately as the conference was concerned only with the distribution of supplies.” It was through this meeting that 8.0 MAF water out of 15.85 MAF was allocated to Rajasthan.
Punjab also asserts that the Sutlej, Ravi and Beas flow entirely within its territory. “None of the Punjab rivers are inter-state river as duly acknowledged by the central govt while adding Section 14 to the Water Disputes Act 1956. Thus it is clear that the water is being released to Rajasthan out of the Punjab rivers,” the letter argues.
Punjab also points out that Rajasthan currently charges its own internal entities, such as refineries, for water it receives for free from Punjab. “This further justifies the sharing of this revenue with Punjab,” the letter argues.While the SAD-BJP administration passed a resolution for royalty in 2016, no formal demand was ever served to Rajasthan until now.The move shifts the spotlight away from the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal dispute with Haryana, opening a new front.